Skin Deep
Dr. Alexander Daoud ’16 bounds into his Winter Park dermatology clinic with the energy of a prizefighter. His scrubs are crisp, his smile wide and his enthusiasm for his craft—a blend of intricate surgery, diagnostic detective work and patient connection—is infectious.
Specializing in skin cancer and reconstructive surgery, Daoud has carved a niche in a field he describes as the “Venn diagram center” of medicine, surgery and pathology.
“Dermatology is everything,” he says. “You’re making diagnoses that connect to endocrine disorders, neuropsychiatric conditions, you name it. The surgeries are precise—everyone sees your work. And the pathology? In a single day, you can go from identifying skin cancers all the way to diagnosing autoimmune conditions and tropical diseases. It’s wild!”
Daoud spends two weeks each month at the Knight Dermatology Institute in Winter Park as their director of dermatologic surgery. He tackles complex skin cancer cases using Mohs surgery, a meticulous technique that achieves over 99% cure rates for some cancers while preserving healthy tissue.
The rest of the month, in addition to teaching at FIU, Daoud offers concierge cosmetics and general dermatology in Miami, with plans to open his own practice.
Much of Daoud’s career was shaped by FIU, where a full-tuition scholarship signaled the university’s belief in his potential.
“My dad told me, ‘When someone invites you to the dance, you dance your heart out,’” he recalls. His father, who passed away recently, was a cornerstone of his support system, alongside his mother, a radiologist whose authenticity at the bedside with breast cancer patients inspired Daoud’s own approach.
At FIU, he found a community that matched his enthusiasm—from classmates who became lifelong colleagues to advisors like Dr. Rebecca Toonkel, senior associate dean for academic affairs, who guided him through career pivots from orthopedics to dermatology.
“The school believed in me,” says Daoud, who was valedictorian of FIU Medicine’s Class of 2016. “I wanted to put FIU on the map.”
That drive propelled him to competitive fellowships at Johns Hopkins and Memorial Sloan Kettering, where he honed his skills alongside Ivy League peers.